Sec. 13b-212b. Connecticut Public Transportation Council.
Sec. 13b-212c. Powers and duties of Connecticut Public Transportation Council.
Sec. 13b-236. Bond issue for grants for commercial rail freight lines.
Sec. 13b-212b. Connecticut Public Transportation Council. (a) There is established a Connecticut Public Transportation Council which shall consist of fifteen members, all of whom shall be (1) residents who regularly use the transportation services of the New Haven commuter railroad line which includes the New Canaan, Danbury and Waterbury branches of such line, (2) residents who regularly use the transportation services of the Shore Line East railroad line, (3) residents who regularly use the transportation services of the Hartford railroad line, or (4) residents who regularly use public transit services funded by the state. Members shall be appointed as follows: (A) The Governor shall appoint four members; (B) the president pro tempore of the Senate shall appoint two members, one of whom regularly uses public transit services funded by the state and one of whom regularly uses the transportation services of the New Haven railroad line; (C) the speaker of the House of Representatives shall appoint two members, one of whom regularly uses public transit services funded by the state and one of whom regularly uses the transportation services of the Hartford railroad line; (D) the majority leader of the Senate shall appoint one member; (E) the majority leader of the House of Representatives shall appoint one member; (F) the minority leader of the Senate shall appoint one member; (G) the minority leader of the House of Representatives shall appoint one member; (H) the chairpersons of the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to transportation shall each appoint one member, one of whom regularly uses public transit services funded by the state and one of whom regularly uses the transportation services of the Shore Line East railroad line; and (I) the ranking members of said committee shall jointly appoint one member who regularly uses public transit services funded by the state. Each member shall serve for a term of four years. All initial appointments to the council shall be made by August 1, 2023, and initial members shall serve a four-year term commencing on August 1, 2023, except that any member appointed prior to July 1, 2023, to serve on the former Connecticut Commuter Rail Council and serving on June 30, 2023, shall be deemed appointed to serve on the Connecticut Public Transportation Council and may continue to serve until the expiration of such member's term and a successor has qualified. Any vacancy shall be filled by the original appointing authority by appointment for the unexpired portion of any term. Members of the council shall serve until their respective successors are appointed.
(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of section 4-9a, the members of the council shall choose one of the members of the council to be chairperson of the council. A majority of the members of the council then in office shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of any business, and action shall be by vote of a majority of the members present at a meeting. The council shall meet at least once during each calendar quarter and at such other times as the chairperson deems necessary or upon the request of a majority of the members in office. Special meetings shall be held at the request of such majority after notice in accordance with the provisions of section 1-225. Any member who fails to attend fifty per cent of all meetings held during any calendar year or who fails to attend three consecutive meetings shall be deemed to have resigned from office. Not later than ten days after a vacancy occurs in the council or the resignation of a member, the chairperson shall notify the appointing authority of such vacancy or resignation.
(c) The Department of Transportation shall maintain records of each request for information and data received from the council and denote the status of any such request.
(P.A. 85-329, S. 1, 3; P.A. 89-87, S. 4, 5; P.A. 92-96; P.A. 13-299, S. 14; P.A. 15-18, S. 10; P.A. 23-135, S. 7.)
History: P.A. 89-87 amended Subsec. (a) to provide for the filling of vacancies by the original appointing authority by appointment, rather than by the governor, with the advice and consent of the general assembly, by appointment; P.A. 92-96 amended Subsec. (a) to add one member representing the Shoreline East railroad line to the council; P.A. 13-299 amended Subsec. (a) to replace “Metro North New Haven Rail Commuter Council” with “Connecticut Commuter Rail Council”, to add Subdiv. (3) re residents of a municipality where a new rail line is proposed or operating, to add Subpara. (A) to (G) designators and, in Subpara. (A), to add provision re chief elected official as member, to add criteria re members appointed by transportation committee chairpersons and ranking members, and to provide that initial appointments and terms commence August 1, 2013, and made technical changes in Subsec. (b), effective July 1, 2013; P.A. 15-18 amended Subsec. (a) to add reference to appointment with advice and consent of the General Assembly, add provision re initial members' 4-year term to commence on August 1, 2013, and make a conforming change, effective June 5, 2015; P.A. 23-135 substantially amended Subsec. (a) by renaming Connecticut Commuter Rail Council as Connecticut Public Transportation Council, deleting provision re appointment with advice and consent of the General Assembly and replacing provisions re membership of council with new provisions re same, amended Subsec. (b) by adding provision re notwithstanding Sec. 4-9a and adding provision re notification to appointing authority of vacancy or resignation, added Subsec. (c) re maintaining records of requests for information received by department and made technical and conforming changes, effective July 1, 2023.
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Sec. 13b-212c. Powers and duties of Connecticut Public Transportation Council. The Connecticut Public Transportation Council shall study and investigate all aspects of the daily operation of the commuter railroad systems and public transit services funded by the state, monitor their performance and recommend changes to improve the efficiency, equity and quality of service on such commuter rail systems and public transit services. The council may request and shall receive, if available, from any department, division, board, bureau, commission, agency or public authority of the state, or any political subdivision thereof, such assistance and data that will enable it to properly carry out its activities for the purposes set forth in this section. The council shall also serve as an advocate for customers of all commuter railroad systems and public transit services funded by the state. The Department of Transportation shall (1) submit monthly reports with information and data concerning the on-time performance and passenger ridership of the commuter railroad systems and public transit services funded by the state, and (2) make quarterly presentations at the meetings of the council concerning such reports and respond to reasonable inquiries made in advance of any meeting by the council. The council shall report its findings and recommendations annually on or before January fifteenth, to the Governor, the Commissioner of Transportation, the General Assembly, the Metro North Rail Commuter Council located in the state of New York and the management advisory board of the office of the inspector general of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority located in the state of New York. The council shall also annually present its findings and recommendations to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to transportation.
(P.A. 85-329, S. 2, 3; P.A. 13-277, S. 72; 13-299, S. 15; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 16-3, S. 113; P.A. 23-135, S. 8.)
History: P.A. 13-277 restored reference to Connecticut Public Transportation Commission, effective July 1, 2013; P.A. 13-299 replaced “Metro North New Haven Rail Commuter Council” with “Connecticut Commuter Rail Council”, required council to study all commuter rail lines in state, rather than the New Haven commuter railroad line, made technical changes, added requirement for council to work with Department of Transportation and make recommendations, and deleted reference to Connecticut Public Transportation Commission, effective July 1, 2013; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 16-3 deleted reference to Connecticut Public Transportation Commission, effective July 1, 2016; P.A. 23-135 substantially amended provisions, including renaming Connecticut Commuter Rail Council as Connecticut Public Transportation Council, adding provision re public transit service, adding provision re recommending changes to improve equity, adding provision re provision of monthly reports and quarterly presentations to council by department and adding provision re annual presentation by council to transportation committee, effective July 1, 2023.
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Sec. 13b-236. Bond issue for grants for commercial rail freight lines. (a) For the purposes described in subsection (b) of this section, the State Bond Commission shall have the power, from time to time to authorize the issuance of bonds of the state in one or more series and in principal amounts not exceeding in the aggregate twenty-seven million five hundred thousand dollars.
(b) The proceeds of the sale of said bonds, to the extent of the amount stated in subsection (a) of this section, shall be used by the Department of Transportation for a program of competitive grants for commercial rail freight lines operating in the state for improvements and repairs to, and the modernization of, existing rail, rail beds and related facilities. Such program shall include the following: (1) (A) Grants of one hundred per cent of the amount necessary to improve, repair or modernize state-owned rights of way, and (B) grants of seventy per cent of the amount necessary to improve, repair or modernize privately owned rail lines, provided the commissioner may waive the requirement for a thirty per cent matching grant if such improvement, repair or modernization demonstrably increases rail freight traffic; and (2) preference for grants shall be given to (A) freight rail projects that improve at-grade rail crossings to eliminate hazards or increase safety, (B) freight rail projects that provide connection to major freight generators, (C) projects that further the goals and objectives of the Department of Transportation's Connecticut State Rail Plan, and (D) freight rail projects that improve freight rail infrastructure by increasing the capacity for rail freight traffic.
(c) All provisions of section 3-20, or the exercise of any right or power granted thereby, which are not inconsistent with the provisions of this section are hereby adopted and shall apply to all bonds authorized by the State Bond Commission pursuant to this section, and temporary notes in anticipation of the money to be derived from the sale of any such bonds so authorized may be issued in accordance with said section 3-20 and from time to time renewed. Such bonds shall mature at such time or times not exceeding twenty years from their respective dates as may be provided in or pursuant to the resolution or resolutions of the State Bond Commission authorizing such bonds. None of said bonds shall be authorized except upon a finding by the State Bond Commission that there has been filed with it a request for such authorization which is signed by or on behalf of the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management and states such terms and conditions as said commission, in its discretion, may require. Said bonds issued pursuant to this section shall be general obligations of the state and the full faith and credit of the state of Connecticut are pledged for the payment of the principal of and interest on said bonds as the same become due, and accordingly and as part of the contract of the state with the holders of said bonds, appropriation of all amounts necessary for punctual payment of such principal and interest is hereby made, and the State Treasurer shall pay such principal and interest as the same become due.
(June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-7, S. 56; Sept. Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-2, S. 68; P.A. 10-44, S. 29; P.A. 11-256, S. 43; P.A. 14-98, S. 98; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 16-4, S. 247; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 17-2, S. 445; P.A. 20-1, S. 66; P.A. 23-205, S. 61.)
History: June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-7 effective July 1, 2008; Sept. Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-2 amended Subsec. (b) to delete “matching” re grants and to add Subdivs. (1) and (2) re grant percentages and preferences; P.A. 10-44 amended Subsec. (a) by decreasing aggregate authorization from $10,000,000 to $7,500,000, effective July 1, 2010; P.A. 11-256 deleted former Subsec. (d) re adoption of regulations, effective July 13, 2011; P.A. 14-98 amended Subsec. (a) by increasing aggregate authorization from $7,500,000 to $17,500,000, and amended Subsec. (b)(2) by adding Subpara. (D) re projects to further the State Rail Plan and Subpara. (E) re projects to increase capacity for rail freight traffic, effective July 1, 2014; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 16-4 amended Subsec. (a) by decreasing aggregate authorization from $17,500,000 to $10,000,000 and making a technical change, effective July 1, 2016; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 17-2 amended Subsec. (a) by decreasing aggregate authorization from $10,000,000 to $7,500,000, effective October 31, 2017; P.A. 20-1 amended Subsec. (a) by increasing aggregate authorization from $7,500,000 to $17,500,000, effective March 12, 2020; P.A. 23-205 amended Subsec. (a) to increase aggregate authorization from $17,500,000 to $27,500,000 and amended Subsec. (b)(2) to delete Subpara. (A) re list of freight rail projects eligible to receive certain funds and redesignate Subparas. (B) to (E) as Subparas. (A) to (D), effective July 1, 2023.
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